Reply to Did your child want to leave AAP after being admitted? If so, did you let them?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][color=red][u][b][size=24]Bad decision.[/size][/b][/u][/color] [size=18]Your kid is going to lose out on a quality peer group forever. Even if they never see the people again, it shapes their development early on.[/size][/quote]

See this mom. The perfect example of a mom whose child doesn't belong in AAP but she refuses to let him/her out. Child is trapped and their life is hell for all of ES and MS. Poor child.[/quote]

But do these kids really exist? (I mean, kids who are hating AAP and the environment but their hypercompetitive parent forces them to continue??)[/quote]

Not AAP related but similar. I graded AP exams when I was in grad school, great money for an intense week of grading. There were a good number of exams that only had written in them “I am only here because my parents made me.” Many of those had some impolite comments about their parents following the statement. It was surprising to me how many students took AP classes and the exam because they had to.

While AAP is not AP, I am sure that there are kids in AAP who would rather be at their base school with friends in gen ed or in gen ed if their school has LLIV. I know that there are kids in Algebra 1 H in 7th grade because their parents made them. I know kids who were at RSM because their parents made them attend to make sure that they made it into Algebra 1 H in 7th grade. Plenty of parents force their kids into classes and programs that the kids don’t want to be in.

This is why I suspect that there are kids who intentionally bomb the TJ essays so that they have an out for not attending TJ. They don’t really want to go and their parents made them. By bombing the essay or writing “I don’t want to go” they get their way and can let their parents complain about their not being accepted. [/quote]

This is interesting, but why would they intentionally bomb the AP exams? Just to rebel against their controlling parents?[/quote]

I don't know because the graders do not talk to the students. We see the blue books and grade the exam in front of us. Part of the training to grade is a list of all the reasons books might be empty or what type of non-essay writingins might be in the books. We have a specific grading rubric so we are required to read anything that is written, just in case a student changes their mind and actually answers the question at some point. I had essays about Prom, studetns sex lives (only a few of those), graduation, and fears about college. We have to look at every page of the book to make sure that the essay we are grading is not addressed some place else.

I would say about 25% of the exams I graded were flat out 0s with the students not answering. The more exciting ones were the ones where students tried to bribe the graders. You would occasionally find money taped in the booklets. We had to return the money.

Many of these exams are ones where the parents are not allowed to see the answers so it could be that it is an opportunity for the student to vent and stick it to their parent. We didn't see names, only a number assigned to the student, so I have no clue if there were more kids of a particular race or gender doing this. A smart kid who knows that their parent is not going to see a response and is not interested in whatever educational plans their parent has charted out for them can tank the essay on any number of standardized tests and know that they can blame the grading for their lack of success. If you don't think that this is happening with some kids applying to TJ then you are crazy. I am not saying it is the explanation for all of the high scoring, accelerated kids but I would put good money on it is the explination for some of them. Parents want the kid at TJ and the kid doesn't want to go, tank the essay, easy way out.

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